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We're finally in the age where there's an increasing number of options when it comes to vegan food products. Back in the day we used to have to forego cheesecake or take mattersinto ourown hands if we decided to eschew animal products. Then Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese came out and everyone rejoiced because they could finally have cheesecake and New York style bagels that were easy to make and didn't suffer from flavor compromises. But then a huge Doh! moment occurred. It's chock full of trans fats! Toffutti answered the call with Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated. Other companies are now following suit with their own vegan cream cheeses such as Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese Alternative. Which of the lot is recommended for your cheesecakes this season? Read on to find out.
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We're finally in the age where there's an increasing number of options when it comes to vegan food products. Back in the day we used to have to forego cheesecake or take mattersinto ourown hands if we decided to eschew animal products. Then Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese came out and everyone rejoiced because they could finally have cheesecake and New York style bagels that were easy to make and didn't suffer from flavor compromises. But then a huge Doh! moment occurred. It's chock full of trans fats! Toffutti answered the call with Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated. Other companies are now following suit with their own vegan cream cheeses such as Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese Alternative. Which of the lot is recommended for your cheesecakes this season? Read on to find out.
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Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

This is the original vegan cream cheese. If you get vegan cream cheese on a bagel in a cafe there's a good chance it's this stuff. It tastes amazing and it's a tragedy it contains hydrogenated oils. This vegan cream cheese exhibited a creamy mouthfeel and delicate flavor that's extremely close to real cream cheese all the way through to the finish.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated

Health experts recommend hydrogenated oils be avoided at all costs. This posed a little problem for Tofutti so they reformulated Better Than Cream Cheese to make a reformulated option. Tofutti's non-hydrogenated version should taste just as good as the hydrogenated version because the only thing they're doing is swapping out the hydrogenated fats with a blend of other fats including palm oil right? Wrong. Think of this version as new coke. Due to this swap of fats they had to do a major reformulation. This vegan cream cheese had much more subdued flavors than it's hydrogenated brother and also tasted somewhat grainy. This could be due to some of the vegetable starches that haven't been incorporated completely. It's still a good vegan cream cheese but you're not going to be fooling anyone who's accustomed to the flavor of real cream cheese.

Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese Alternative

This is the new player on the market. Follow Your Heart has been making a name for themselves with their nationally distributed vegan cheeses. Like Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated, Follow Your Heart's vegan cream cheese is also non-hydrogenated. This vegan cream cheese was excessively gummy, likely due to the large list of vegetable starches in it's ingredient list. It also exhibited a slightly salty flavor with a prominent lemon finish on the palate. That said, this vegan cream cheese would still be wonderful paired with crackers or vegetables on an hors d'oeuvres plate.

The Verdict

All three of these vegan cream cheeses are great alternatives to the real thing. Due to the recommended avoidance of hydrogenated oils, I can't recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, even though it's flavor won out over it's other competitors.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated came in a close second in the taste department and it's what I use in my cheesecakes and other sweets. A little trick for vegan cheesecake is to add a little soy yogurt to up the cheesecake flavor ante to more realistic levels. This solution enables Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Non-Hydrogenated to still work wonders in vegan cheesecakes so you get the best possible flavor without the major health consequences.

Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese Alternative's excessive gumminess, salt and lemon flavors probably wouldn't do wonders in your vegan cheesecake but there are lots of hors d'oeuvre and sandwich applications where those flavors would make these foods excel. It also contains 76% organic ingredients which is a bonus. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for vegan cream cheese. I predict more non-hydrogenated options and an increasing number of blended flavor choices. Competition is good in this regard because we all reap the benefits.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:03:21 -0500http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/make-your-own-vanilla-extracthttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/make-your-own-vanilla-extract
In these trying times purchasing baking ingredients to sustain your sweet tooth/hobby can add up. Many of us have more time than funds these days so it can be fun to discover the art producing things we take for granted. This is the heart of what DIY culture is all about. It's fascinating to create, learn and save some dough in the process.

Lately I took that approach to making homemade vanilla extract and was able to create a one that was comparable to high end extract for slightly more than half the cost. {loadposition share}

In these trying times purchasing baking ingredients to sustain your sweet tooth/hobby can add up. Many of us have more time than funds these days so it can be fun to discover the art producing things we take for granted. This is the heart of what DIY culture is all about. It's fascinating to create, learn and save some dough in the process.

Lately I took that approach to making homemade vanilla extract and was able to create a one that was comparable to high end extract for slightly more than half the cost.

1) Obtain your preferred vanilla storage contaiiner

To do this first you'll need to obtain a proper vessel. The little 5 oz. bottles that hot sauce comes in is perfect for home brewed vanilla extract. Transfer the hot sauce to a small pyrex container and thoroughly wash the glass bottle a couple times to wash away all the hot sauce remnants.

Soak the bottle in a bowl of water overnight and remove the label the next day. Set this bottle aside and get ready to brew! Take a vanilla bean, place it on a cutting board and using the tip of a sharp knife, cut down the pod length-wise. Then split the pod open and scrape out the black paste with the sharp edge of the knife. Set both the pod and the paste aside.

2) Prepare your vodka and infuse the beans in it

Pour yourself a half cup of vodka and warm it up in the microwave or in a pot until it's very warm but not scalding hot. Don't worry, most of this alcohol gets burned off during the baking process and is not noticeable in your finished baked product. Commercial vanilla extracts also use grain alcohol or glycerin. Alcohol-based products have vastly superior shelf life compared to their glycerin-based counterparts.

Pour the warm vodka into the glass bottle, add the pod and paste, screw the cap on tight and give it a good shake. Let the vanilla pod and paste steep in the vodka mixture for about two weeks, shaking daily.

3) Filter the vanilla extract and bottle

After two weeks, transfer the vanilla extract to a small bowl while filtering it with a coffee filter or layered cheesecloth to remove the vanilla pod particles. Discard the vanilla particles and using a funnel, transfer the clear vanilla extract back to the bottle. Discard the vanilla bean.

Congratulations! Your homemade vanilla extract is done and will provide you with sleek, sultry vanilla flavor for months. It will keep for up to one year.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:00:00 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-oven-thermometer-diarieshttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-oven-thermometer-diaries
I've always recommended to have at least one thermometer in the oven at all times. Do you really want to trust that other shady built-in oven thermometer? Last I saw that dude he was blinking 12:00 like it was actually that time (maybe it was). The fact is, your built-in oven thermometer is usually off and it's a good idea to take steps to correct oven temperatures before you wake up and realize that you've grown into an adult at the same house accompanied by almost 1,053 slightly burned Friday night pizzas. {loadposition share}

I've always recommended to have at least one thermometer in the oven at all times. Do you really want to trust that other shady built-in oven thermometer? Last I saw that dude he was blinking 12:00 like it was actually that time (maybe it was). The fact is, your built-in oven thermometer is usually off and it's a good idea to take steps to correct oven temperatures before you wake up and realize that you've grown into an adult at the same house accompanied by almost 1,053 slightly burned Friday night pizzas.

Lately I've kept a couple oven thermometers in the oven just to be extra paranoid. That is, until I questioned which thermometer was actually the correct one. Mass hysteria ensued and some people in my kitchen re-enacted the crash scene from the movie Airplane. You can always boil water and drop your thermometer in and see if it reads boiling temperature which is 212F. The last time I did that the thermometer read above 212F but was normally registering as too cool in the oven for some strange reason.

The thermometer on the left is the oldest and the least accurate, indicating about 25 degrees off. It got me through my years running Enchanted Oven Baking Co so I owe it some respect. The thermometer in the middle, has seen a few years of use as the starring role in assisting the development most of the recipes on Veganbaking.net. It's showing about 10 degrees below 350F. The thermometer on the right is the new acquisition that should theoretically be accurate until the black temperature indicators become illegible after repeated cleanings.

Regular thermometers work by having two different types of metal sandwiched together as a long strip, then formed into a coil. The heat causes one side of the strip to expand more than the other and spin a dial, indicating the temperature. This is slightly more sophisticated than cave man's method for temperature in which hot was probably "oww" and burning was likely "AAHHH". The more metal expands and contracts with heat the weaker and less reliable it becomes.

Enter the analog thermometer. Although it no longer uses mercury inside of it's glass tube, the Taylor 5921N Commercial Grade Oven Thermometer caught my eye and I had to check it out. It's just a glass tube mounted on a piece of stainless steel. It has the advantage of having no coils to wear out although it's a little harder to read. According to some reports, the black temperature indicators can get washed off after repeated cleaning attempts. I'd rather have an accurate thermometer that's hard to read than actually thinking my oven is 25 degrees colder than it really is. I'm confident that this thermometer will be more reliable and result in more consistent oven temperature readings over time.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/manna-breadhttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/manna-bread
Around 150 years ago it became cost effective to mass mill grains into the shelf stable product we know of as flour. Since this time, a host of health related anomalies have been occurring in the United States. The beginning of the mass production of food is regarded as marking the beginning of the Standard American Diet, or more appropriately named, the SAD diet. These health issues are likely caused by products containing flour and sugars that, after they're quickly digested, turn into a flash flood of sugar that our bodies aren't capable of handling multiple times a day. To reduce having major health issues later in life, we'd like to remind you that highly processed foods should be enjoyed in moderation. When you're not overindulging in desserts, It's a good idea to eat natural food that is minimally processed and provides consistent energy without spiking your blood sugar. Luckily, this can be done while still eating amazing food. Enter Manna Bread.
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Around 150 years ago it became cost effective to mass mill grains into the shelf stable product we know of as flour. Since this time, a host of health related anomalies have been occurring in the United States. The beginning of the mass production of food is regarded as marking the beginning of the Standard American Diet, or more appropriately named, the SAD diet. These health issues are likely caused by products containing flour and sugars that, after they're quickly digested, turn into a flash flood of sugar that our bodies aren't capable of handling multiple times a day. To reduce having major health issues later in life, we'd like to remind you that highly processed foods should be enjoyed in moderation. When you're not overindulging in desserts, It's a good idea to eat natural food that is minimally processed and provides consistent energy without spiking your blood sugar. Luckily, this can be done while still eating amazing food. Enter Manna Bread.

Recently the folks at Manna Organics were kind enough to send me a box of all of their Manna Bread flavors to try out. Forget everything you thought you knew about bread. Manna Bread is a sprouted, naturally leavened bread that doesn't use bread yeast, sweeteners or salt.
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Sprouting, also known as malting, is when a seed changes into a plant. During this time extra nutrients are produced and starches convert to sugars to give the sprout nourishment to survive and prosper during the germination process. Sprouted grains are popular in breads because they offer enhanced flavor and nutrition content. Manna Organics then grinds the sprouted wheat berres and allows the dough to sit just long enough to get a natural leavening from natural airborne yeasts which is similar to how sourdough or wild yeasted bread is produced. The sprouting and leavening process also creates additional flavor compounds. The result is a bread that doesn't need much else to taste hearty and satisfying. Since it's mostly just sprouted ground and naturally leavened grains, a slice even without a topping can be a meal in itself. This bread is that good.

Manna bread is not your tratitional floured, yeasted bread. Due to this it is extremely dense and hearty. if you grew up on Wonder Bread you may have a hard time getting into this bread. If you love hearty rustic breads, you'll love Manna Bread.

Fig Fennel Flax

This bread was extra dense and moist due to the figs. The fennel enhanced the figs in an intriguingly delicious way and the flax gave the bread bonus crunch. You don't really need to put a topping on this stuff.

Carrot Raisin

This was my favorite bread of the bunch. The carrots gave the bread a buttery, sweet, dense and moist consistency and the raisins lended a tart sweetness. I love it when something ultra unprocessed can satisfy a dessert craving and this bread was no different. Topping it with almond butter was heaven.

Sunseed

This bread features sunflower, sesame, flax, millet, poppy and caraway seeds. The result is a buttery complexity that is perfect for a sandwich.

Banana Walnut Hemp

Bananas and the nuttiness of hemp combined forces in this bread. I'd be happy eating this as part of a sandwich or with some preserves on top for dessert. This bread is great either way.

Millet Rice

Millet and Rice made for a very standard bread that would be preferred if you were making a sandwich where you wouln't want the flavor of the bread to interfere.

Fruit and Nut

Raisins, dates, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg join together to make this bread one of my other favorites. The nuts gave it a good crunch and enhanced the complexity of the sweetness provided by the raisins and dates.

Whole Rye

Most rye bread recipes call for rye flour being a blend of rye flour to wheat flour. This bread is 100% sprouted rye berries and the flavor reminds you of that. This bread had a rye intensity that was not too extreme but the complexity of it's rye flavor is unlike anything I've experienced. If you're into rye breads, this is not to be missed.

Multigrain

As you would expect, a multigrain version of a sprouted, naturally leavened bread can almost be substituted for a meal. Rice, barley, millet, flax, rye, soy oats, oat bran, cornmeal... it's all here and waiting to help you make the ultimate sandwich.

Cinnamon Date

Cinnamon and dates made this bread another perfect low sugar dessert. Toasting it and topping it with peanut or almond butter was devine.

In previous attempts to make similar bread I've spent enough money on wheat berries to personally finance a new beard trimmer for Bob from Bob's Red Mill. That is why Manna Bread will be a staple in my pantry from now on. It's just great bread that tastes amazing with zero guilt. You can't say that about many vegan baked goods.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:00:00 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-make-pumpkin-pureehttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-make-pumpkin-puree
During the Fall there are few things better than pumpkin infused treats like pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cookies. Probably the least understood part of making these treats is getting the pumpkin purée out of the pumpkin. There are lots of different ways to make pumpkin purée. Some methods use boiling pumpkin chunks in water, others use baking the pumpkin in the oven. Still other methods detail using the microwave. Each method has it's pros and cons. Read on to find out how to select the best pumpkin and recommended steps for making good quality pumpkin purée.
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During the Fall there are few things better than pumpkin infused treats like pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cookies. Probably the least understood part of making these treats is getting the pumpkin purée out of the pumpkin. There are lots of different ways to make pumpkin purée. Some methods use boiling pumpkin chunks in water, others use baking the pumpkin in the oven. Still other methods detail using the microwave. Each method has it's pros and cons. Read on to find out how to select the best pumpkin and recommended steps for making good quality pumpkin purée.

Pie Pumpkins

Look for a pumpkin variety called pie pumpkin, also known as sugar pumpkin. These pumpkins can be as small as grapefruits and as large as cantaloupes. Pie pumpkins are smaller and sweeter than their jack'o lantern cousins. Great pumpkin purée comes from great pumpkins. Select the best quality pumpkin by opting for locally grown organic ones. This ensures that your pumpkin will be fresh and won't contain any chemicals that could negatively effect it's flavor. Also look for pie pumpkins are heavy for their size. Make sure there are no soft spots and inspect the orange skin to ensure it isn't broken in any areas. Pumpkins can be stored in a cool dark place for up to two months.

Once you've selected your perfect pumpkin, wash the skin with a sponge and soapy water. This will keep any bacteria present on the skin from getting into the pumpkin when you slice through it. {loadposition body-ad-1}

Preparing your Pumpkin

Among the varying methods of preparing pumpkin purée, all involve subjecting the pumpkin to heat for a specified amount of time so the it's flesh softens. Once the flesh is soft it's easily scraped off the skin and puréed in a food processor or blender.

Depending on the size, your pie pumpkin will yield 2 to 4 cups of purée. The method I use prepares pumpkin purée that is low in moisture so it's a drop in replacement for the dense canned purée available at your local health food store.

1) Remove the pumpkin stem

Preheat your oven to 350F (177F). Using a paring knife, slice around the perimeter of the stem and pull it out.

2) Slice the pumpkin and place it in a baking dish

Slice your pumpkin into four quarters. Then slice those quarters in half lengthwise to make eight slices. Using a metal spoon, scrape away the stringy pieces and seeds away until the flesh is exposed. You might want to save your seeds and make roasted pumpkin seeds later. Lightly oil an 9 inch x 13 inch square baking dish and place the pumpkin slices inside so they're facing up. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and poke about six small holes in the foil with a sharp knife so steam can escape.

3) Bake the pumpkin

Bake the pumpkin in the oven on the middle rack for 1 ½ hours.

4) Allow the pumpkin to cool and process

Remove the tin foil and allow the pumpkin quarters to cool for about fifteen minutes or until they're cool enough to handle. Scoop the pumpkin flesh away from the skin using a metal spoon and place the flesh into a food processor. A blender works well too but a food processor is recommended. Process for about three minutes.

5) Strain the water from the pumpkin purée

This step drains off the excess water in in the purée. If you're making a soup or stew this step isn't necessary but if you're making a baked item this step is crucial. This is because the purée is too watery to be used as a drop-in replacement for the canned version unless the excess water is drained off.

Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl or plate. Pour your purée onto the cheesecloth and let it sit overnight, or up to 10 hours. Do not let the purée sit like this for any more than 10 hours or else it may start to harbor harmful bacteria.

6) Store or use the pumpkin purée

Scrape the purée out of the cheesecloth, transfer it to an airtight covered container and store it in the refrigerator until needed. The purée will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week or be frozen for up to one year.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:00:00 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-problem-with-palm-oilhttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-problem-with-palm-oil
I love baking with vegan margarines like Earth Balance because they taste almost as good as butter and contain no hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils are oils where hydrogen is forced into oil at high pressure. This chemically changes the unsaturated fatty acids into saturated ones. The benefit of this is that the oil is solid at room temperature and has an extended shelf life. The drawback of this is that trans fats are created during this process. In the 1980's food scientists began to notice adverse health affects associated with trans fat intake. This finding has led to a disaster in the food industry as food processors scramble to re-engineer their food to forgo hydrogenated oils but allow them to retain their flavor, shelf life, consistency and profit margins. {loadposition share}

II love baking with vegan margarines like Earth Balance because they taste almost as good as butter and contain no hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils are oils where hydrogen is forced into oil at high pressure. This chemically changes the unsaturated fatty acids into saturated ones. The benefit of this is that the oil is solid at room temperature and has an extended shelf life. The drawback of this is that trans fats are created during this process. In the 1980's food scientists began to notice adverse health affects associated with trans fat intake. This finding has led to a disaster in the food industry as food processors scramble to re-engineer their food to forgo hydrogenated oils but allow them to retain their flavor, shelf life, consistency and profit margins.

The Rebirth of Margarine

The first and arguably best margarine to come out of one of the biggest health miscalculations in the history of food is Earth Balance margarine. It consists of a blend of oils including palm oil, which is already solid at room temperature, hence not requiring the hydrogenation process. The people at Earth Balance didn't stop there though, they also made their margarine one of the best tasting margarines in the business. Due to this, it's regarded as the gold standard butter alternative for vegan baking.

It should be noted that vegan shortening went through this rebirth at the same time margarine did with both Earth Balance and Spectrum Naturals leading the way several years ago. Most non-hydrogenated vegan vegetable shortening on the market is 100% palm oil derived. I've created a non-palm oil derived margarine called simply Vegan Butter and a non-palm oil derived Vegan Shortening to get around the palm oil issues and to empower vegan bakers with more control over the flavor profile of their recipes.
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Other Good fats for Vegan Baking

Baked vegan goods like croissants, shortbread cookies and flaky pie crusts require margarine for best results but there are other things like cakes, muffins and cookies that do perfectly fine with other fats like canola oil. On some occasions, it's desirable to have an oil that's extremely solid at room temperature for things like brownies and other bars. In these instances, coconut oil works extremely well because it's similar to palm oil in that it doesn't require hydrogenation to be solid at room temperature.

Tropical oils like palm oil and coconut oil have done a great job filling the void in the last decade as more people who turn to vegan baking look for fats that mimic butter. There is one ever increasing problem however.

How can this be possible? You mean the most effective vegan baking butter alternatives actually cause more animal suffering? How bitterly ironic this problem is. Are we supposed to use canola oil for everything now and just deal with never having croissants again? What are the alternatives to the alternatives? Unfortunately, this is not an easy question to answer. There are institutions like the non-profit Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil which is working hard to ensure that palm oil is sustainably produced. Hopefully the companies that make our favorite butter alternatives (I'm looking at you Earth Balance) will adopt policies where they only buy palm oil from sustainable sources. Thankfully, Spectrum Organics has taken these steps and currently sources their palm oil from a sustainable certified family owned company called DAABON Organic.

Coconut Oil

As of this writing coconut oil does not appear to suffer from the same level of sustainability issues as palm oil production does. This will probably change in time as it looks like any plant that's being grown in large quantities in countries with large amounts of rainforest is going to lead to rainforest destruction if sustainable policies are not enacted.

Canola oil

92% of canola oil is produced in the United States as of 2007. Since there are very few rainforests in the United States, there's a pretty good chance that using canola oil will result in no rainforest destruction. I recommend organic canola oil for maximum sustainability. Since canola oil isn't solid at room temperature, it's no drop in replacement for our favorite margarines.

Sustainably Produced Palm Oil-based Products

There are people who don't believe palm oil should be sustainably certified because they feel that it's use is going to lead to deforestation anyway. I don't believe this is the right approach because banning the use of a high-demand product to the world market is impossibly unrealistic and far less effective as enacting sustainability standards. Is the world community supposed to just throw up it's hands and forget that palm oil exists? Good luck with that. In the meantime, organizations like the Rountdable on Sustainable Palm Oil are working to promote sustainably harvested palm oil so producers abide by standards so it has as little impact on the environment as possible. The video below describes how RSPO does this.

In the meantime, we can use products that use sustainable palm oil like Spectrum Organics Shortening. In regards to margarine, we can urge our favorite margarine companies to only purchase palm oil from sustainable sources. Earth Balance has such a high consumer confidence level that if they needed to slightly increase their prices in order to do this they probably wouldn't lose any business. They could stand to gain a business advantage because they could market their product as being more green than their trans-fat laden competitors.

The next few years will be an interesting time in the palm oil scene. Indonesia is set to double their palm oil production by 2020 so now is a critical time to act so producers get in the habit of making sustainable palm oil that doesn't result in environmental destruction. As bakers we can vote with our dollars to help these sustainable methods flourish. Our baked goods will end up being just that much sweeter.

UPDATE

I emailed Earth Balance inquiring if their palm oil is sustainably harvested. Their email response was accompanied by a legal order that the message not be posted to anyone other than the intended recipient so I can't post it here verbatim.

GFA Brands, the company that owns Earth Balance responded from their Consumer Affairs department saying that their palm oil is sourced mainly from Malaysia, not Eastern Malaysia. The email said they do not source palm oil from Indonesia (Sumatra), one of the primary homes of orangutans. They say that Indonesia is where most of the issues regarding palm oil production is a problem. They said the palm oil they use comes only from existing palm plantations and not from plantations that have been recently cleared. They also said they purchase palm oil from law abiding, reputable plantations that are registered with their national governments.

It's hard to tell whether their response is legitimate or just hot air. I feel that if a company goes out of it's way to make sure it's getting it's product from sustainable sources, it's going to be a member of a sustainability society and brag about it on it's package labeling. How many food products are organic that fail to say so on their packages? None. Also, the Malaysian Palm Oil website has a featured article saying how the "Attack on Palm Oil is Politically Motivated" which I strongly disagree with. I need more proof than just words to prove that a product is sustainably harvested.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:58:14 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/best-apple-varieties-for-bakinghttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/best-apple-varieties-for-baking
One of the reasons Fall is the best time of year for baking is the plethora of fruits and vegetables that have been growing to perfection all summer. Of these, apples are one of the most appreciated and varied. It's common to dedicate a whole afternoon to apple picking, searching for our favorite varieties in nature's perfect form and discovering new varieties along the way.

One of the reasons Fall is the best time of year for baking is the plethora of fruits and vegetables that have been growing to perfection all summer. Of these, apples are one of the most appreciated and varied. It's common to dedicate a whole afternoon to apple picking, searching for our favorite varieties in nature's perfect form and discovering new varieties along the way.

It's hard to decide what apples are better used for: eating out of hand or using for things like apple pies, strudels and apple butters. An apple variety that's good for one isn't necessarily good for the other. When using apples for baking it's important to take taste and texture into consideration. For best results in baked goods, look for apples that are tart, crisp and not too juicy or sweet. I recommend using a mixture of the apple varieties below.

Granny Smith

This variety originated in Australia in 1868 from Maria Ann Smith, hence it's name. This apple is my first choice for baking because it's dense, crisp and tart. It doesn't lose large amounts of liquid while baking which reduces the chances of your pie boiling over.

Pink Lady

Pink Lady, also known as Cripps Pink, is a hybrid between Lady Williams and Golden Delicious. Since it has roots in the Golden Delicious variety, this apple is not as crisp as other apples I recommend. It's still a great choice in baked goods however.

Braeburn

Braeburn is thought to be a cross between Granny Smith and Lady Hamilton. This is my favorite apple to eat out of hand because it has a juicy, crisp texture and a complex sweet apple flavor. It's also not too juicy or sweet to be used in baked goods.

Fuji

Developed in Japan in the late 1930's, Fuji is a hybrid between Red Delicious and Virginia Ralls Genet. These apples are big, crisp, juicy and sweet. They can let go of lots of juice while baking and can make baked items sweeter so keep this in consideration if you're baking with fillings consisting of 100 percent Fuji.

Other Apple Varieties

Other varieties I like for baking include Gravenstein, Cortland, Jonagold and Pippin. I decided to hit up the Twittersphere to find out what varieties people preferred. According to TheVeganKitchen, "This year my favorite baking apple has been Ginger Gold (which I buy from a local orchard). That variety makes wonderful pie!" Jo_Jo_Ba's favorite are "honeycrisp for out of hand, Northern Spy for pies".

Varieties I don't recommend are Golden Delicious and Red Delicious because they don't hold up during baking and can turn out mealy.

Support your local orchard and go on an apple picking adventure this Fall. You now know what varieties to look out for. What's your favorite variety for baking and eating out of hand? Let us know below.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:26:53 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-essential-cooke-is-essentially-greathttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-essential-cooke-is-essentially-great
These little beauties were picked up recently at the local health food store. Actually they weren't little by any means, measuring about four inches across. They're from Cindy Klotz Productions which is a secret vegan cookie lab located inside a volcano guarded by unicorns. Ok, we just made that last part up. But there is no website info on the cookie and we're a little dumbfounded as to where to find more information about these cookies. A website that made us feel all warm and snuggly while at the same time describing their cookies would be a great place to start. Update: Cindy Klotz Productions now has a website!
These little beauties were picked up recently at the local health food store. Actually they weren't little by any means, measuring about four inches across. They're from Cindy Klotz Productions which is a secret vegan cookie lab located inside a volcano guarded by unicorns. Ok, we just made that last part up. But there is no website info on the cookie and we're a little dumbfounded as to where to find more information about these cookies. A website that made us feel all warm and snuggly while at the same time describing their cookies would be a great place to start. Update: Cindy Klotz Productions now has a website!

One thing that we did find is that The Essential Cookie looks like an attempt to bring to market a simple honest cookie that tastes amazing but doesn't rely on space age ingredients that make cookies actually taste like taffy. We sampled the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Chocolate Chunk cookies.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

This cookie tasted like a cross between a traditional chocolate chip cookie and a traditional oatmeal cookie. It had substantial notes of vanilla and margarine that were accented by the oats and chocolate chips. The chocoalte chips weren't too few and the texture of the oats was very welcoming. It tasted straight up like a cookie with vegan being an afterthought. This was likely due to the ingredients being simple, traditional and not including any scientific conditioners, stabilizers or artificial ingredients (depending on how you classify margarine). I was happy to find that the cookie held together and had a perfect level of sweetness. Many vegan cookie manufactuters pump up their cookies with sugar to disguise off flavors of other ingredients or to make up for other flavors that are lacking. Not with these cookies. Texture-wise, they weren't chewy or crunchy but somewhere in between. They reminded me of a a gourmet cookie that a cafe would offer.

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk

This cookie hit me with very complex and exciting flavors of chocolate, oats, cranberries, chocolate chips and even coffee. Where the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip was for cookie traditionalists, the Cranberry Chocolate Chunk is for bungee jumping paintballing cookie eating warriors. It would be one thing if it had a boring mouthfeel but au contraire, dear reader. It was chock full of texture from the ingredients mentioned above as well as oats which gave it a not chewy but not excessively crumbly consistency like the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

Why aren't more cookeis like these? Probably because making cookies that can withstand the rigors of long shelf life and not crumble into dust at the local health food store is extremely difficult and takes years of trial and error. In an attempt to conquer this challenge many commercial vegan cookie bakers turn to things like fruit dextrins, vegetable starches and artificial "natural flavors". This can often be a slippery slope that can make cookies taste anything but. The Essential Cookie has managed to make amazing vegan cookies while avoiding this pitfall. Good vegan premade cookies are frequently hard to come by. Thankfully, The Essential Cookie is changing all that, one cookie at a time.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:44:36 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-big-vegan-cheese-reviewhttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/the-big-vegan-cheese-review
When it comes to things like pizzas, it's a good idea to increase the fun factor by topping it with some vegan cheese. Vegan cheeses have improved vastly over the last decade and it's often difficult to keep up with the latest offerings. I've always wondered how vegan cheeses would fair side by side in regards to flavor, meltiness and overall authenticity. In this review I'll show you how well these cheeses faired in those regards and let you know which topping came out on top.
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When it comes to things like pizzas, it's a good idea to increase the fun factor by topping it with some vegan cheese. Vegan cheeses have improved vastly over the last decade and it's often difficult to keep up with the latest offerings. I've always wondered how vegan cheeses would fair side by side in regards to flavor, meltiness and overall authenticity. In this review I'll show you how well these cheeses faired in those regards and let you know which topping came out on top.

This review includes what I believe are the best vegan cheeses currently on the market. There are likely dozens more but the ones reviewed are known for their quality. They are becoming easier to find in specialty food stores more and more every day. I didn't include some of the fine fermented nut-based vegan cheeses on the market in this review because I felt that they wouldn't have sufficient melt factor to compete with the other cheeses in this review. In the future Veganbaking.net will be conducting more cheesy research and doing a nut-based vegan cheese review is something that I'd love to investigate.

I performed a melt test by putting the vegan cheese shreds on italian bread and placing it in an oven preheated to 350F. I increased the temperature by 25F every 10 minutes and recorded the melting point of the cheeses. The picture above shows how the cheeses melted after going through the temperature range up to 400F, then held there for an additional 10 minutes. In the picture above I placed cheddar on the top row and mozarella on the bottom row.

I didn't take the temperature of the vegan cheeses any higher than 400F because that's the temperature most people are going to cook their pizzas at home. It's unrealistic to expect customers to cook their pizzas in a 500F oven. At pizzerias this is not the case so some of the cheeses in this review that had poor meltability may in fact have better melt performance in specifically designed pizza ovens.

Teese Cheddar Style

Teese Cheddar Style is from the people at Chicago Soy Dairy. The describe it as having "an excellent mild cheddar flavor, giving it the potential to be used in a wide assortment of dishes. It is amazing on cold sandwiches or round crackers, but really shines when melted in a "roast beef" sandwich, panini, or in a simple "grilled Teese" sandwich!"

The Taste Test

Teese Cheddar had a mild cheddar flavor and a slightly pasty texture. It was slightly reminiscent in flavor and texture of, dare I say it, Velveeta cheese slices. Despite this, it still makes a relatively good topping melted. This vegan cheese melted at 400F making it suitable for pizzas made at home. Due to its moist, oily texture, it would not be ideal unmelted on a sandwich or in a salad.

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 7g
Protein: 0g

Teese Mozzarella Style

From the Teese website "The authentic taste and excellent melt characteristics of this Teese flavor is why it's our most popular product... and why it is used in some of the best pizza restaurants in the country! You'll love Mozzarella-style Teese in everything from lasagna to a rueben!"

The Taste Test

Like the Teese Cheddar Style, the Teese Mozzarella Style had a mild flavor and a slightly pasty texture. This vegan cheese also melted at 400F. Due to its moist, oily texture, it was more authentic to Mozzarella than the Teese Cheddar was to cheddar. I would love this on a pizza.

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 7g
Protein: 0g

Daiya Cheddar Style Shred

Daiya is the newcomer on the vegan cheese market as of this writing. Their website describes Daiya as a"new dairy-free vegan cheese that tastes, shreds, melts and stretches like dairy based cheese. Daiya is not made with casein, the protein found in dairy products or soy, common to many other non-dairy cheese alternatives."

The Taste Test

The Daiya melted quicker and more consistently than all of the other vegan cheeses in the review, melting at 350F. Once melted, it was delightfully stringy and chewy. I knew I liked it when I wanted to keep eating it. It had a very authentic cheddar cheese flavor and texture.

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 6g
Protein: 1g

Daiya Italian Style Shred

The Taste Test

This vegan cheese performed similarly to the Daiya Italian Style Shred. I loved its melty chewiness and authentic cheezy flavor. It would do well in a Cesar Salad. It also melted at 350F like the Daiya Italian Style Shred.

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 7g
Protein: 1g

Cheezly Mature White Cheddar Style

Cheezly is a British vegan cheesee which was recently purchased by Redwood Foods. It's apparently pretty recent on US shores. Cheezly "is free from animal ingredients. So it's perfect for vegetarians and vegans, as well as people who are lactose or casein intolerant. What's more, there are no nasties." I was thrilled to find that this cheese was devoid of all nasties.

The Taste Test

This vegan cheese was complex sharp and reminded me of artisan style cheeses. The sharp, authentic flavor made me want to keep eating the cheese. It never melted, even after being subjected to 400F. This vegan cheese would do very well in pasta or ground up on pizza due to its sharp cheddar or parmesan notes. This could be life-altering in a cesear salad. It wouldn't melt sufficiently for a pizza but I don't care; the flavor more than makes up for it.

The Melt Test

Ingredients

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 4.9g
Protein: .98g

Cheezly Mozzarella Style

The Taste Test

In contrast to the Cheezly Mature White Cheddar, this vegan cheese melted at 400F into a slightly pasty texture with relatively authentic cheese flavor. Tasters were dvided on whether the melt was satsisfyingly cheesy or excessively pasty. Unmelted, this vegan cheese had a chalky mouthfeel which was not preferred. Its flavor was still more complex than the other three mozzarellas

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz, (28g)
Fat: 7.1g
Protein: 1.5g

Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheddar

As of this writing Vegan Gourmet appears to have the best distribution, being available in Whole Foods stores nationwide. This vegan cheese is described on their website as "Great for veggie burgers, macaroni and cheese and mixed with Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese Alternative makes a great pizza topping. Vegan Gourmet Cheddar Cheese Alternative melts down to a creamy, smooth cheese sauce in a fondue pot, sauce pan, casseroles, or in the microwave."

The Taste Test

In my 400F test, this cheese didn't melt. Vegan Gourmet states on the package that it melts at 500F. I find it unrealistic to bring a pizza to 500F in a home kitchen oven just to get the cheese melted. This concern would be different in a pizza kitchen however because they would be more adequately prepared to bring the pizza up to the recommended 500F level. The texture unmelted was slightly waxy and the flavor was the blandest of the bunch. I would still reach for it if I were making a pizza and I had nothing else available.

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 4g
Protein 2g

Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella

The Taste Test

This vegan cheese fared similarly to the Vegan Gourmet Cheddar, exhibiting little meltability and profound flavor. Due to its moistness, it melted slightly more and was more similar to mozzarella than the Vegan Gourmet Cheddar was to cheddar. I would still reach for this vegan cheese in the absense of the other brands.

Nutrition Highlights

Serving size: 1 oz (28g)
Fat: 8g
Protein 1g

Vegan Cheese Nutrition Notes

I was a little surprised how the vegan cheeses measured up in regards to nutrition. Since they are largeley soy based I'd expect them to have protein levels approaching the 7 grams found in traditional dairy-based cheeses. This is likely because the vegan cheeses are largely made up of vegetable starches, oils and flavorings. The fats found in these cheeses are mostly healthy; low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Having said that, these vegan cheeses offer very little nutritional value.

My favorite Vegan Cheese of the Bunch

When I'm looking for vegan cheese I'm interested in authentic cheese flavor and a chewy, stringy consistency when melted. I'm not interested in flavors that are overly salty or increasingly bland. I'd prefer to shy away from consistencies that are cottage cheese or paste-like. Out of this bunch the Daiya Cheddar Style Shred and Mozzarella Style Shred came closest to reproducing the authentic cheese experience for me. It's remarkably stringy, chewy and melted very similarly to dairy based cheese.

My second favorite of the bunch is Cheezly Mature White Cheddar. Like the Daiya vegan cheese, I knew I loved it when I just kept wanting to eat more. The Mature White Cheddar is sharp and reminded me how much I loved really sharp cheddar as a kid. This cheddar did not get high marks for melting, however. The Cheezly Mozzarella was a notch below the Mature White Cheddar. Better meltability didn't help it overcome the Cheezly Mature White's Cheddar's superior flavor and authenticity in my opinion.

The Teese vegan cheeses were more on the mild side. I would avoid putting them in salads but would love them on pizza.

The Vegan Gourmet vegan cheeses were the most lackluster of the bunch, showing mild flavors and poor meltability. I would still reach for this vegan cheese at my local specialty store because I still enjoy its flavor.

It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for vegan cheeses. Daiya has clearly made a breakthrough with the quality of their cheese and I believe it's only a matter of time until other vegan cheesemakers follow suit.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:17:12 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/heres-the-scoophttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/heres-the-scoop
I used to think that ice cream scoops were kind of a joke. Why not just use a spoon and run it under warm water before for the best scooping action? That's all fine and dandy if you just want to get ice cream into a bowl. There's something to be said about presentation though, especially when it comes to desserts. As humans, we're very visual when it comes to interpreting things like food and this does make a difference with how food is perceived. You might only be concerned with getting ice cream into your mouth with the least amount of effort but if you're interested in making the best possible eating experience then it's a good idea to pay attention to your visual presentation. Also if you frequently serve ice cream, convenience is key. When it comes to ice cream this is where the Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop comes in.
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I used to think that ice cream scoops were kind of a joke. Why not just use a spoon and run it under warm water before for the best scooping action? That's all fine and dandy if you just want to get ice cream into a bowl. There's something to be said about presentation though, especially when it comes to desserts. As humans, we're very visual when it comes to interpreting things like food and this does make a difference with how food is perceived. You might only be concerned with getting ice cream into your mouth with the least amount of effort but if you're interested in making the best possible eating experience then it's a good idea to pay attention to your visual presentation. Also if you frequently serve ice cream, convenience is key. When it comes to ice cream this is where the Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop comes in.

Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop

Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoops come in six different sizes, all indicated by the colored disc on the end of the scoop. Sizes range from 1 to 4 ounces. I opted for the 2.5 ounce scoop because we figured it would scoop an adequately sized ice cream 'ball' for the majority of our needs.

When serving ice cream in a bowl, on a cone or next to a cake, spherical ice cream balls make the best presentation instead of a pile of ice cream chunks randomly arranged. The Zeroll Original lets you scoop these perfect ice cream balls. This ice cream scoop is also a joy to hold. No more sore hands from trying to scoop ice cream with a spoon and having the spoon bend. The ice cream scoop is entirely made out of cast aluminum with the scoop machined to size. Very simple and to the point. I can't look at many kitchen tools and regard them as true works of art like the Zeroll Original Scoop. Why is that?

Here is why this scoop makes outstanding ice cream presentations: one of the killer features of the Zeroll Original scoop is that it's core is filled with a heat conductive fluid that dissipates the coldness of the ice cream into the handle while it scoops. After you form perfect ice cream balls by drawing the scoop towards you at an angle of about 45 degrees, they fall effortlessly into your ice cream bowl without any mechanical sliders or extra effort. All it takes is a slight press against the dish or cone to free the ice cream from the scoop. No moving parts also means that your $20 Zeroll Ice Cream scoop will be the last one you will ever buy. A good investment if you're into good presentation and lasting quality.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:04:36 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/building-your-vegan-kitchen-part-3-useful-baking-toolshttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/building-your-vegan-kitchen-part-3-useful-baking-tools
By now you may have decided to try this whole vegan baking thing and unlike most other hobbies, noticed how satisfying it is to voraciously consume the results when it works out. If you haven't been consuming the fruits of your labor in secret, perhaps the boss is a little farther away from laying you off in these hard times due to the ongoing appearances of your apple struedel at the office. In conclusion of our series, we give you Part 3 of Building Your Vegan Kitchen where we divulge the useful tools that make vegan baking more convenient, cost effective and fun.
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By now you may have decided to try this whole vegan baking thing and unlike most other hobbies, noticed how satisfying it is to voraciously consume the results when it works out. If you haven't been consuming the fruits of your labor in secret, perhaps the boss is a little farther away from laying you off in these hard times due to the ongoing appearances of your apple struedel at the office. In conclusion of our series, we give you Part 3 of Building Your Vegan Kitchen where we divulge the useful tools that make vegan baking more convenient, cost effective and fun.

In Part 1 we recommended essential cookware for your vegan baking kitchen.
In Part 2 we showed you what essential ingredients work well in a vegan kitchen.

The tools in this article aren't necessities if you're a casual baker but will save you effort and time if you're willing to take your baking to the next level.
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Food Processor

Nary a day goes by that I don't use my food processor. Used for everything from chopping nuts to making frostings to cutting fats into dough, your hand held mixer might get a little jealous when your food processor shows up on the scene. I used to think that they were a gimmicky joke until I realized that I just had to own one to finally find out. I don't know how I got along without it.

My food processor has paid for itself several times over from the money I've saved from hummus alone. Instead of buying it at the store I was able to make it for the last decade at one third the cost. Your food processor will save you time when it comes to things like chopping nuts for muffins. It will be less mess than a blender for pureéing baked sweet potatoes for a pie. It may even save you money because these conveniences will make it more fun to make food instead of buying it pre made at a higher price.

Oil Mister

Years ago I discarded all of my non-stick cookware because the coatings were flaking off into my food and into my body. Non-stick cookware always gets the most praise when it's brand new. The only old non-stick cookware I've ever seen that has still been in good condition has been in kitchens where it was rarely used. Due to the desire for longer lasting cookware and foregoing the health risks of non-stick cookware flakes, I've switched over to stainless steel and cast iron for my pots, pans and griddles.

One of the minor downsides to stainless steel and cast iron cookware is that you have to take extra precautions so foods don't stick. This involves coating the cooking surface in a light film of vegetable oil that won't burn and oxidize at high heat levels. Canola oil works great for this. The oil coating needs to be as thin as possible on the cookware, otherwise cooking won't be even and your food may absorb too much oil, making it soggy. There's a large selection of disposable oil misters on the market for this purpose. Unfortunately, many of them contain chemical propellants which also ends up in your food. Many of these disposable misters are also non-recyclable.

Reusable oil misters are extremely useful because you can fill them with your oil of choice. After filling, the mister is pumped several times and can be used to coat griddles for pancakes, pans for sauteing, muffin pans, etc. Just be sure to discard the extra oil every few months so the oil doesn't get rancid.

Oil misters help you save time because you don't have to manually coat your cookware with oil with a paper towel or pastry brush. You save money if you use disposable oil misters because you only need to buy one. Your food will also taste better if you switch to an oil mister instead of over-coating your cookware with oil.

Digital Scale

In commercial baking and in Europe, the scale is what you use for dry measure as opposed to dry measuring cups. Why? Because a scale measures volume by weight and dry measuring cups measure volume by size. If you're baking in small batches for home use, dry measuring cups will do fine except when you're making things that more closely relate to chemistry than baking. Candy making falls into this category. It's the opposite of cooking where you can just throw salt over your shoulder and into the cauldron of boiling stew without measuring it.

With fudges, brittles, caramels and chocolates, exacting measurements are key. I prefer digital scales that are low and flat instead of traditional scales. Digital scales can switch between measuring units by the touch of a button. Most of them have a feature called Tare where you can place your mixing bowl on top of the scale then set the weight to zero before adding your ingredients. This works great when measuring large quantities of things like flour. Since it's also flat, you can forego the bowl and measure 2 oz of chocolate pieces if you need to.

The scale will make candy making easier because you will be confident that you're using the proper amount of ingredients. If you decide to bake in larger quantities or bake recipes from Europe, the scale will be there for you. I even use mine to measure the weight of packages before I ship them.

Digital Candy Thermometer

The candy thermometer is another tool that is essential for candy making. When making fudges and brittles you will need to know where and for how long to apply specific heat. Differences of a few degrees can make or break your efforts. Before candy thermometers were invented people determined the level of caramelization of their sugar syrup by using the Cold Water Test. This involved taking a small amount of the hot sugar syrup, dropping it in cold water and waiting to see what the consistency was. This is more time consuming and less accurate than using a candy thermometer because you have to take measurements at regular intervals to make sure your sugar syrup is getting to the desired consistency. Some people still use the Cold Water Test and I respect their diligence. A candy thermometer improves accuracy, increases convenience and saves time. It may also save you some pain; getting splashed with 200F sugar syrup can only truly be remedied by later eating that much more fudge to compensate for the pain.

Pastry Bag and Tips

Frosting cakes with a frosting knife is so elementary. Why not take it to the next level and get a pastry bag and several fun tips so you can make your cakes look like they came from the local pastry shop? This is where baking and art collide. I recommend you practice on cardboard so you don't ruin Aunt Betty's birthday cake by accidentally making maple leaves that look like marijuana leaves. I recommend the silicone pastry bags because they are reusable.

Microplane Premium Classic Series Graters

These name brand abrasive tools look like oversize nail files or really small cheese graters depending on who you talk to. Microplane Classic Premium Series Graters come in different course grades. Grinding whole spices are done on a fine microplane. For lemon zest where you want to get the yellow of the lemon peel which contains the most essential oils you would use a medium microplane. Dusting your chocolate mouse in chocolate flakes would be done by shaving dark chocolate with a coarse microplane. After getting a microplane or three, you may turn into a lemon zest snob and scoff at how normal zesters get the white part of the lemon; too bitter for your foodie taste buds but perfect for decorative purposes like on top of lemon sorbet.

Cheesecloth

This fine cotton mesh is a godsend from everything from filtering the pulp out of juices, aging vegan cheese and removing excess water from tofu. It's also great for covering the top of a small bowl where you're propagating wild yeast for bread. A cheesecloth only costs a few dollars. Your baking adventure could be cut short if you need one and don't have it. There are few ways get around not needing one if the recipe calls for it. Using your clothing is not an option even if it is a vintage band t-shirt. I prefer finer mesh cheesecloths to more loose woven ones.

Glass Jars and Containers

Big mouthed glass containers are extremely convenient in a kitchen because they keep your ingredients fresher for longer. They also allow you quicker access to your ingredients because you don't have to unwrap things like flour bags and spill it everywhere. I prefer large glass containers in 1 liter sizes or more so I can buy larger quantities of bulk foods which save me more money. Bulk ingredients also reduce my environmental footprint because I generate less packaging waste.

Through my years of baking I've discovered several tools that reduce hassle, increase the quality of my baked goods and most importantly, maximize my level of fun in my vegan kitchen. I hope these tools allow you to do the same.

What baking tools do you swear by in your kitchen? Let us know be commenting below.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:14:36 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/building-your-vegan-kitchen-part-2-stocking-your-pantryhttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/building-your-vegan-kitchen-part-2-stocking-your-pantry
This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on how to get your kitchen dialed in for easy vegan baking. In Part 1 we talked about essential cookware that we recommend to make things nice and easy. In this article we'll detail ingredients that will make your vegan baking adventures easier so you're not running to the store trying to find that one ingredient you forgot about at 1am. Part 3 will detail specific tools that aren't necessities but are worthwhile additions to your vegan baking armory.
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This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on how to get your kitchen dialed in for easy vegan baking. In Part 1 we talked about essential cookware that we recommend to make things nice and easy. In this article we'll detail ingredients that will make your vegan baking adventures easier so you're not running to the store trying to find that one ingredient you forgot about at 1am. Part 3 will detail specific tools that aren't necessities but are worthwhile additions to your vegan baking armory.

Now that you've got your basic cookware as described in Part 1 it's important to make sure you have vegan staple ingredients that will reduce panic when you're baking stuff from that latest cookbook you just purchased or if you're veganizing that Paula Dean recipe you saw recently (good luck with that). Please keep in mind that this guide assumes that your kitchen is already set up for non-vegan baking so basic items like cinnamon, vanilla extract and baking powder won't be covered.

In regular baking, you take certain avenues to get to your tasty destination by using certain avenues consisting of traditional ingredients like butter, eggs and sugar. In vegan baking, those destinations are the are still the same but the avenues are different. Yes, in vegan baking we're taking the scenic back route!
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Sweeteners

Granulated White Sugar

Granulated white sugar is made both from sugar cane and sugar beets. Granulated white sugar derived from sugar cane undergoes a filtering process involving bone char from the animal industry. Sugar derived from beets does not involve this process. As of this writing, about 50% of white granulated sugar in the US is derived from beets and the other 50% is derived from sugar cane. Access to these sugars varies according to what part of the country and/or what sugar distribution channel you reside in. If you're interested in doing 100% vegan baking you should use granulated white sugar derived from beets. This sugar is often labeled as "Vegan Sugar' in health food stores. Another way to avoid this is to use turbinado sugar which doesn't go through the filtering process. Turbinado sugar is so close to granulated white sugar that it can be used in it's place in most cases, except in baked items where a light color is desired. Turbinado sugar's slightly darker color can darken these desserts unacceptably in these cases.

I'm not convinced that the minuscule amounts of bone char used by the sugar industry generates enough money for the animal industry to actually benefit. I also don't believe that using turbinado sugar significantly results in less pollution to justify the significantly increased cost of that sugar. I also don't believe that alternative sugars are more healthy in any way. Sugars used in baking consist of different ratios of glucose to fructose molecules and one isn't necessarily less dentremental to health than the other. The trace minerals that alternative sugars contain are too negligible to make a difference to your health; you'd be much better off just not eating sugar at all if you're looking for health benefits. I use regular white granulated sugar because I choose to focus my efforts on more pressing food choice issues. What type of sugar you choose to use is up to you and it's up to everyone to respect each other's ideals.

Powdered Sugar

Powdered sugar, also known as confectioner's sugar is just granulated white sugar that's been ground up into tiny particles so the same issues apply to it as they to to granulated white sugar. Some cookbooks say you can make your own powdered sugar by putting regular sugar in a blender but we disagree. Perhaps this would work well if you had an extremely high powered blender such as a Vitamix. It's important to have readily available ingredients on hand with minimal preparation so we recommend having powdered sugar available at all times. You'll especially need it for things like frostings.

Agave Syrup

Agave syrup is the darling of the sweetening family lately, being thoroughly covered in cookbooks like The BabyCakes Cookbook and heralded by raw chefs for years. Agave syrup is held in high regard due to it's low glycemic index. For more information on glycemic index and vegan sweeteners, check out our article here. Agave syrup is great for things like puddings, cakes and sweet breads, where you can substitute agave syrup for some or all of the sugar and/or liquid in your recipe. Since agave syrup is a liquid sweetener, make sure that you reduce your other water-based liquids in your recipe if you're substituting it for regular sugar. Also be prepared to partake in a couple of test cakes before you bring that newly veganized cake over to your cousin Jimmy's birthday party.

Agave syup has a sweetness profile that's a little different than granulated sugar. It leaves a syrupy finish on the back of your tongue. Most people prefer the taste of regular sugar for baking due to it's neutral flavor but agave syrup is still a great thing to have in your vegan pantry. Also use it in place of corn syrup for caramel recipes and other recipes where you need to add just a touch of liquid sweetener like in Creamy Cashew Cream Cheese.

Brown Rice Syrup

Brown rice syrup is derived from making a mash of hot water and rice to convert the rice starches into sugar then cooking it down until it condenses into a dark rich syrup. It has a very caramel-butter-esque flavor that can be off putting in large amounts in most recipes. Usually this flavor is not noticed when 2 Tablespoons or less is used. This syrup extremely gooey, sticky and is great for adding a touch of binding power to sweet breads and cookies. If you want to make things that are chewy, brown rice syrup is a great addition to cookies, brownies or other bars.

Fats

Non-Hydrogenated Margarine

The easiest way to veganize a recipe is to substitute non-hydrogenated margarine for the butter and call it a day. The industry standard for non-hydrogenated margarine at the time of this writing is Earth Balance. Earth balance is a proprietary blend of fats from certain vegetable oils that result in a margarine that does not need to go through the hydrogenation process.

Hydrogenation is a process where hydrogen is passed through vegetable oil to make it solid at room temperature. Recent studies have shown that it also results in trans fats, resulting in some of the most toxic compounds in the food supply. Many health experts recommend a zero tolerance policy for hydrogenated oils for optimum health. Zero tolerance as in, never ever eat it under any circumstances. Earth balance is such a success because not only is their margarine non-hydrogenated, it's also damn tasty. Keep in mind that their tub margarine contains more water than butter and recipes that are veganized may have to be adjusted slightly to compensate. Earth Balance is also available in sticks that are firmer and closer to real butter in consistency but it's harder to find.

A disadvantage of non-hydrogenated margarines like Earth Balance is that they contain palm oil which is associated with rainforest destruction in palm oil producing countries like Sumatra. I've created a non-palm oil derived margarine called simply Vegan Butter to get around the palm oil issues and to empower vegan bakers with more control over the flavor profile of their recipes. I make Vegan Butter in large batches and store it in my freezer. The night before I bake I transfer it to my refrigerator or kitchen counter depending on the consistency my recipe calls for.

Canola Oil

Canola Oil is great for vegan baking in place of melted butter and in recipes where you're not interested in having a butter flavor or dense item. It's also significantly healthier than butter, margarine and most other fats for that matter due to it's good ratio of fats. Canola oil is high in mono-unsaturated fats, low in saturated fats and has a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. it's also great for high heat and has a very neutral flavor. Use it in place of cheap oils labeled "vegetable oil" which is just GMO soybean oil in most cases. Canola oil is great for sweet breads and cakes where you're not interested in creaming your margarine and sugar for leavening purposes.

Shortening

If you've spent time making pie crusts and other flaky eats you might already know that butter, margarine and especially canola oil based pie crusts result in crusts with a low flake factor. I hate flakes as much as the next guy but when I want to get flaky I turn to shortening as do traditional bakers. I created a coconut oil-based, palm oil-free version of Vegan Shortening that works well as a drop in replacement for conventional shortenings. Often a mix of margarine and shortening is a good way to get a good flaky crust with a good buttery flavor. Companies like Spectrum andEarth Balance make outstanding vegan shortenings which are usually palm oil derived.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is great for many reasons. Like margarines and butters, it lends a great level of density to baked goods like brownies, cookies and other bars. It comes in two versions: Unrefined coconut oil is regular coconut oil and will make everything you bake taste like coconut. Refined coconut oil has the coconut flavor removed so you'll want to use this for situations where coconut flavor isn't desired.

Like all fats that are solid at room temperature, coconut oil has a large amount of saturated fats. It used to be thought that all saturated fats were unhealthy. Recent studies have shown that the saturated fat in coconut oil is different on a molecular level. This version of saturated fats are known as medium chain fatty acids and haven't been shown to cause the same health issues as animal-based saturated fat. It's quite the contrary actually with coconut oil-based saturated fats being shown to be antiviral, antimicrobial and processed more efficiently by the body.

Egg Replacers

It's just not possible to recreate what an egg does. Vegan bakers have many different ways to get by with binding their eats which vary depending on the situation. Here is our list of vegan egg replacers. The most effective ones are listed below.

Golden Flax Meal

Flax Seed Egg Replacer is currently my favorite egg replacer in non-light colored baked items like cakes, cookies and sweet breads. Be sure to use golden flax seeds as opposed to the darker ones and grind them in a powerful blender or spice grinder to yield a fine powder. This powder, when added to water yields a 'goop' that's similar to egg albumen. This is not to be used in puddings, sauces or frostings. It won't beat into a foam like an egg. Use in white cakes is also to be avoided because the flax particles will be visible.

Flax meal is extremely perishable and will rapidly go rancid if left at room temperature for any longer than a few weeks. The seeds have a somewhat longer shelf life due to them having a strong outer shell. Do not buy pre ground flax meal because it's usually on it's way to being rancid very quickly if it isn't already. Buy it in seed form and store the seeds and the meal in the refrigerator. If the oils go rancid it becomes toxic and will make your baked goods taste like linseed oil which will result in lost vegan baking cool points.

Starch-Based Egg Replacers

These binders utilize vegetable starches like arrowroot, tapioca and guar gum which pull together into a goopy binding gel when exposed to heat. They also have a touch of baking powder to help in the leavening department because eggs have subtle leavening properties. The best starch based binder currently on the market is Ener-G Egg Replacer. We also have our version of starch based binder calledEgg Replacer Powder. These sorts of binders work well for the same things that Flax Seed Egg Replacer is intended for. Starch-based egg replacers have the advantages of not discoloring light colored foods. They can also usually be used in higher quantities because they don't leave behind small particles.

Other Stuff

Unsweetened Soy Milk, Rice Milk or Coconut Milk

Milk, soy milk, rice milk and recent addition to store shelves coconut milk work as great drop-in replacements for dairy-based milk. Just be sure to use unsweetened varieties whenever possible so you don't add additional hidden sugar to your recipe. Soy milk has a great creaminess that rice milk doesn't have so it's our first choice in vegan baking.

Apple Cider Vinegar

When apple cider vinegar is added to soy milk in a ratio of about 1½ teaspoons of vinegar per 1 cup of soy milk, magical things happen. The soy milk curdles from the acids in the vinegar and it gets thicker and more flavorful. It also improves the crumb of your cakes, cookies and sweet breads which is very nice. We prefer the unfiltered version. Lemon juice works for this purpose as well.

The Right Flours

in vegan baking as in non-vegan baking, it's imperative that you use the flours that are intended in the recipe you are following. All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, cake flour and pastry flour as well as non-gluten flours vary immensely. We recommend storing your flours in large glass containers with wide-mouth tops for ease of use. Taking off rubber bands and unfolding paper bags is just too much of a pain and makes a mess.

We recommend having the following flours on hand if you don't have wheat allergies: All-purpose, whole wheat and bread flour. Be sure to store your whole wheat flour in the fridge so it's fats don't become rancid.

We recommend having the following flours on hand if you have allergies to gluten: Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, garbanzo/fava bean flour and brown rice flour.

With these above ingredients you'll be able to make most of the stuff you find on this website, on the web and with a little bit of luck and determination, be able to veganize almost any traditional baked eat.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:54:19 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/mise-en-placehttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/mise-en-place
Mise en place, pronounced 'MEEZ ahn plahs', translates to "put in place". It means to have all your ingredients, cookware and your kitchen prepped and ready to go before doing your cooking or baking. With mise en place, recipes are reviewed and necessary ingredients and equipment are checked. Mise en place is used extensively in the food industry and is of equal importance to the recipe itself.

Mise in place is simply the act of just reading the directions, fully understanding and preparing yourself for the task you're about to do. If you bought furniture that needed to be assembled, you'd want to practice a variant of mise en place called "reading the directions first" for best results. You should get in the habit of mise en place every time you bake.

if you were going to make fudge that called for condensed soy milk, you would want to make sure you have the sugar and soy milk and the saucepan for the soy milk to be condensed. You would then want to see if you have your chocolate and other ingredients. Running to the store when there's a time-sensitive saucepan of hot caramel on your stove is not an option. My absolute biggest baking blunder has been running to the store for the emergency ingredient I forgot about and having the store end up being closed. For your fudge recipe you would continue mise en place by chopping your chocolate into half-inch pieces and placing them in a metal bowl so you wouldn't have to later scramble to do it on-the-fly.

In the restaurant industry and other fast paced kitchens mise en place goes one step further and becomes a state of mind where evey spare second is used to squeeze productivity out of the kitchen.

Mise en place is also an important habit to get into because it allows you to focus your full attention on your food and your recipe as you bake. Chefs on cooking shows use mise en place so they can devote their resources to the show so it's as simple descript as possible. Watching a chef chop vegetables for 10 minutes is just no good. Mise en place helps keep baking as it should be- low stress and fun.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:55:13 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/building-your-vegan-kitchen-part-1-cookwarehttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/building-your-vegan-kitchen-part-1-cookware
Making the decision to start vegan baking or to take it more seriously is a really good idea if I do say so myself. I'm warning you though- the more you get into vegan baking, the more you will get into vegan baking, until you do things like start vegan companies, build websites and write books. You have been warned. Things get much easier as you go along but one way to make things as easy and fun as possible is to pimp out your kitchen with the best tools and most useful ingredients. It's not that expensive I promise. This is Part 1 of a 3 part article on how to get that done.

{loadposition share}Part 1 describes the best baking tools for foolproof vegan baking.Part 2 details the best ingredients to stock your pantry with.Part 3 shows you specific tools that aren't necessities, but very useful in the kitchen.

Buy the good stuff once

When building your vegan kitchen, it's best to just go for it and buy the best quality stuff you can afford. The most expensive stuff is by no means always the best- most of the time the mid-range cookware works out being best. Buying the best stuff you can afford will ensure that you get stuff that lasts a long time and doesn't cause you buy it again once it breaks. For instance, going through 3 pairs of sub-par kitchen shears in a decade is more expensive than just buying really nice ones that may end up lasting you a lifetime. Good quality stuff also has the benefit of being a joy to use. Every time I use my Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless pots I get a dorky smile.

When buying cookware, I look for metal parts as much as possible, as opposed to plastic. I prefer stainless steel because it heats evenly, it's virtually indestructible, doesn't corrode, and is easily cleaned without worrying about scratching films off. Stainless steel cookware is becoming easier to find but as of this writing I still can't for the life of me find a stainless steel spring form pan. Here is the minimum cookware we recommend for every vegan kitchen:
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Mixing Bowls

Good quality large mixing bowls are absolutely paramount to vegan baking. I recommend two of equal sizes that are 4 Quart capacity. Usually, one will be for your wets and one will be for your drys. They need to be deep so they keep ingredients from flying out when you're mixing like a mad scientist. It's also a good idea to get one or two smaller bowls around 2 Quarts for additional things like egg replacer slurries or fillings that you plan to add later. Glass or ceramic works well too but it WILL get dropped and broken eventually. Stainless steel just makes a very embarrassingly loud sound when dropped and everyone will know you're a klutz.

Measuring Spoons

Get good quality stainless steel measuring spoons. The plastic ones often can hold off flavors of that cayenne you just put in your hummus. I've gone through my share of plastic measuring spoons where the measurements have just worn off.

Dry Measuring Cups

I once did both my liquid and dry measurements with only liquid measuring cups. After finally using dry measuring cups for dry ingredients, I realized how important it was to have the two types. If your dry measuring cups are used for liquids, they will need to be cleaned before measuring dry ingredients again thus wasting valuable time. They will also make things messy because you'll have to measure up to the very top and pour without a spout. More mess = more time cleaning up = more hassle. Dry measuring cups are important for measuring dry ingredients because you'll want to measure flour by the 'scoop and level' method. This is the standard way of measuring flour so it's not compacted. Using your finger to level off the top of the flour ensures an accurate and fast measurement. Let's face it- we don't have all day to wait for your muffins! The sooner you get it done, the sooner we can eat them and convince you to make us more.

Liquid Measuring Cups

These are really important because they make liquids much easier to measure and pour. I love the cups that are set up so you can measure your liquids from looking straight down. No more doing squats in the kitchen every time you measure a liquid. I've had to resort to bike riding to keep my leg muscles in check since getting these. This is the rare instance where I recommend a transparent plastic piece of cookware. I guarantee you will drop this on the floor and if it's glass, you will not be very happy if you have to cut your baking session short to clean up the shards.

Whisk

Stainless is important here. By now it's probably impossible to a non-stainless steel wire whisk but when I started baking, I used one that had metal plating that was flaking into my food. There's nothing quite like metal whisk flakes in your brownies- Yum! You will use your whisk to:
Aerate flour or mix together other dry ingredients when it's in your mixing bowl.
Stir liquids in hot pots when you make things like caramel.
Mix together Eggless Binders or other thin liquids.
I use my whisk so often that I want to get a whisk holster. Come on Etsy!

Wooden Mixing Spoon

This is the whisk's cousin and is used for thicker batters. You'll use it to:
Mix things like muffin batters where you don't want to pull out the electric mixer.
Initially mix the ingredients in bread batter before you get to the knead process.
Stir hot things like fudge as they're under heat.
I like wooden spoons because they don't transfer heat as well as metal and they won't scrape the bottom of your favorite saucepans.

Hand-Held Electric Mixer

This is indispensable for cake making. If you want to get tech, you may want to get a snazzy stand-alone electric version and put flame decals on it but it's not required. You'll use this to:
Cream Vegan Butter or margarine and sugar for cakes.
Mix cookie batters.
Mix frostings.

Spatula

These are important for scraping and spreading dough. I use one cut so the handle is only 3” long so I can have a little more control with it. It also comes in handy to scrape the traces of things like brown rice syrup from a liquid measuring cup or measuring spoon before measuring the next ingredient. This ensures your measurements are as accurate as possible and your hands only need to be rinsed every minute instead of every 30 seconds.

Parchment Paper

This is important for lining things like brownie pans and cookie sheets. I very rarely need to coat my cookware with a thin film of oil since I started using parchment paper. Wax paper is not to be substituted because the wax can melt, make a mess and get into your food at high temperatures. Wax paper is only really useful when placed beneath turntable slip mats. Parchment paper makes lifting brownies out of molds a cinch and cleanup barely even necessary.

Spreading Knife

You will need a good spreading knife when you're working your cake frosting magic. I like the long ones with the 6 inch blade. This will also get the job done when it comes to cutting and serving that cake. It may also come in handy as a weapon when negotiating over the last piece.

Rolling Pin

Government funded studies have proven that making a pie crust or gingerbread cookies without a rolling pin is officially a royal pain. Attempts to do without it have resulted in manic bouts of convulsions. Do yourself a favor and just get a rolling pin.

Baking Mat

You will want to roll out your dough, knead it, cut it into cookies, etc on this mat. Cloth mats are the old school and silicone mats are the new school. I prefer the large silicone ones because they are easy to clean and the dough is relatively resistant from sticking to it. I also like the ones that have pie diameter measurements printed onto them. Don't put your dough directly on the kitchen counter instead of using a mat. Your room mate spilled orange juice there 3 months ago and never really 'got around' to cleaning it up very well.

Dough Blender

I once thought that using a food processor or a fork to cut Vegan Butter into flour was acceptable. That is, until I bit the dime-sized Vegan Butter bullet and bought a dough blender. These can be purchased for under $10 and will make your crusts $50 better. It also kind of looks like it's related to brass knuckles or some type of medieval weapon which is extra fun.

Good Quality Oven Mitts

I use Ove Gloves which makes me an official dork. A dork with unburned hands, that is. Good quality oven mitts make handling hot things easier and more convenient. There's nothing worse than freaking out because your hands are starting to burn and you're not even near the place where you're going to put the hot item down. Ove Gloves can also be worn to raves to be used in 'liquid' dancing which can also be a bonus.

Oven Thermometer Most oven thermometers are flat our liars. I like to have at least one oven thermometer in my oven on the middle rack to make sure my temperature is correct. Be sure to get your temperature in the middle of the middle rack. There can be up to 5 degree temperature variations in oven corners or alongside walls. There's few things worse than wondering why your stuff never turns out then realizing that you've been baking at the wrong temperature for years.

Kitchen Shears

These are really sharp scissors that are a little more beefy so they can do things like:

Cut through aseptic packages containing silken tofu.

Snip off the excess outer perimeter of dough from a pie crust.

Cut through tin foil.

It's pretty scary when you don't have these and need to use the regular scissors for things that are food related, then remember how just hours ago you got rubber cement on them while making a birthday card for your Mom. Kitchen shears keep these disasters from happening.

Good Quality Hand Lotion

This isn't a baking tool but trust me, after all that dough handling, hand washing and dish washing, you hands will be pretty dry. Before going to bed, put some good lotion on so your hands can get their moisture back. While we're on the subject of body products, if you've been doing lots of tasting, be sure to brush your teeth so sugar doesn't get a chance to wreak havoc on your mouth. We'll need those teeth to continue our vegan baking adventures.

With the above tools, your kitchen will be amongst the best around. Keep in mind that there are many more tools that make baking easier but these are the best ones to start out with and will give you the most bang for the buck.

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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Thu, 21 May 2009 04:21:27 -0400http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/happy-traveling-with-the-vegan-survival-kithttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/happy-traveling-with-the-vegan-survival-kit
I've found that it's a good idea to include the following:

Include snacks that are nutritious

Include snacks that are low in carbs and high in protein. If you're the lone vegan traveling with a group of friends and you end up going to a random restaurant for brunch sometimes you have to make a meal out of the fruit plate. Starting the day with a high protein low carb snack like Primal Strips will give you a nice dose of protein without making you feel uncomfortably full or filling you up with too much sugar. I like Primal Strips because they are wheat gluten based so it's a good source of protein. If you have a wheat allergy you may want to consider something like a handful of tamari almonds instead.

Don't skimp on flavor- You're on vacation!

Include snacks that are gooood! The idea behind the Vegan Survival Kit is to make traveling easy and fun. If you're like me, you'll want to chow down on things likeBalsamic Candied Pecans or Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola at regular intervals. It's also fun to share with non-vegans. They'll remember that you don't eat rabbit food on every occasion.

Junk food overload is pretty common for me when I'm traveling. Once you make sure you have your nutrition food staples for the day, you can eat junk food if you want later and not worry about energy crashing. Don't forget to eat fresh vegetables when it's convenient. In the meantime, making a Vegan Survival Kit can be a good way to guarantee convenient, healthy, affordable and tasty eats so you can focus on maximum travel fun.
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{loadposition article-end} ]]>Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:36:28 -0400